Method and system for sharing digital media content

Abstract

Methods and systems for generating and sharing media clips are described. Consistent with some embodiments, while a selection of digital media content (e.g., a movie, television program, audio track, and so on) is being presented at a media player, a user creates one or more sets of waypoints (e.g., time markers) that define the boundaries (e.g., beginning and end) of one or more media clips. These waypoints are communicated from one media player device to another, enabling the receiving media player device to retrieve and play back the media clips from a source other than the media player device where the waypoints were generated.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method comprising:
 at a first media player device operated by a first user, defining a first waypoint pair and a second waypoint pair for a piece of content, the first and second waypoint pairs each comprising a first waypoint defining a beginning point of a corresponding media clip and a second waypoint defining an ending point of the corresponding media clip, each media clip being a different portion of the same piece of content; 
 generating, with a camera of the first media player device, a video message that includes newly captured audio that annotates the two media clips defined by the first and second waypoint pairs for the piece of content; 
 identifying a second user by accessing a list of social network contacts from a social network account of the first user; and 
 generating a transmission from the first media player device to a second media player device associated with the second user, the transmission from the first media player device to the second media player device including the video message that includes the captured audio that annotates the two media clips defined by the first and second waypoint pairs for the piece of content, the first and second waypoint pairs, a content identifier for the piece of content, and metadata indicating that the two media clips defined by the first and second waypoint pairs should be caused to be concatenated by the second media player device, the second media player device being caused to generate, based on data in the metadata, a thumbnail image as a graphical representation of the concatenated media clips in a user interface of the second media device. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the content identifier further indicates a plurality of content sources from which the piece of content can be requested by the second media player device. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of content sources from which the piece of content can be requested include content sources capable of performing the concatenation after receiving the first and second waypoint pairs from the second media player device. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the transmission further includes an identification of the first user. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising capturing an audio file with an audio capturing device on the first media player device, the audio file describing the media clips defined by the first and second waypoint pairs. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the identifying of the second user identifies multiple second users that are part of a social network. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the identifying the second user includes identifying a group of one or more server computers as the second media player device; and wherein the generating of the transmission to the second media player device generates the transmission to the group of one or more server computers. 
     
     
       8. A first media player device comprising:
 a memory; and 
 at least one processor configured to: 
 define a first waypoint pair and a second waypoint pair for a piece of content, the first and second waypoint pairs each comprising a first waypoint defining a beginning point of a corresponding media clip and a second waypoint defining an ending point of the corresponding media clip, each media clip being a different portion of the same piece of content; 
 generate, with a camera of the first media player device, a video message that includes newly captured audio that annotates the two media clips defined by the first and second waypoint pairs for the piece of content; 
 identify a second user by accessing a list of social network contacts from a social network account of a first user; and 
 generate a transmission from the first media player device to a second media player device associated with the second user, the transmission from the first media player device to the second media player device including the video message that includes the captured audio that annotates the two media clips defined by the first and second waypoint pairs for the piece of content, the first and second waypoint pairs, a content identifier for the piece of content, and metadata indicating that the two media clips defined by the first and second waypoint pairs should be caused to be concatenated by the second media player device, the second media player device being caused to generate, based on data in the metadata, a thumbnail image as a graphical representation of the concatenated media clips in a user interface of the second media device. 
 
     
     
       9. The first media player device of  claim 8 , wherein the content identifier further indicates a plurality of content sources from which the piece of content can be requested by the second media player device. 
     
     
       10. The first media player device of  claim 8 , wherein the plurality of content sources from which the piece of content can be requested include content sources capable of performing the concatenation after receiving the first and second waypoint pairs from the second media player device. 
     
     
       11. The first media player device of  claim 8 , wherein the transmission further includes an identification of the first user. 
     
     
       12. The first media player device of  claim 8 , further comprising capturing an audio file with an audio capturing device on the first media player device, the audio file describing the media clips defined by the first and second waypoint pairs. 
     
     
       13. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, causes execution of operations comprising:
 at a first media player device operated by a first user, defining a first waypoint pair and a second waypoint pair for a piece of content, the first and second waypoint pairs each comprising a first waypoint defining a beginning point of a corresponding media clip and a second waypoint defining an ending point of the corresponding media clip, each media clip being a different portion of the same piece of content; 
 generating, with a camera of the first media player device, a video message that includes newly captured audio that annotates the two media clips defined by the first and second waypoint pairs for the piece of content; 
 identifying a second user by accessing a list of social network contacts from a social network account of the first user; and 
 generating a transmission from the first media player device to a second media player device associated with the second user, the transmission from the first media player device to the second media player device including the video message that includes the captured audio that annotates the two media clips defined by the first and second waypoint pairs for the piece of content, the first and second waypoint pairs, a content identifier for the piece of content, and metadata indicating that the two media clips defined by the first and second waypoint pairs should be caused to be concatenated by the second media player device, the second media player device being caused to generate, based on data in the metadata, a thumbnail image as a graphical representation of the concatenated media clips in a user interface of the second media device. 
 
     
     
       14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein the content identifier further indicates a plurality of content sources from which the piece of content can be requested by the second media player device. 
     
     
       15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the plurality of content sources from which the piece of content can be requested include content sources capable of performing the concatenation after receiving the first and second waypoint pairs from the second media player device. 
     
     
       16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein the transmission further includes an identification of the first user.